Imports of Japanese beer sold at convenience stores and big-box retailers topped 100,000 tons for the first time ever on an annual basis. Analysts said imports of Japanese beer, which plunged during the "No Japan" boycott, have fully returned to a growth track.
On the 5th, according to the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety's "2026 imported foods inspection yearbook," last year's imports of Japanese beer reached 100,322 tons, up 22% from the previous year (82,229 tons). It is the first time that annual imports of Japanese beer have surpassed 100,000 tons.
Imports of Japanese beer steadily increased from 12,369 tons in 2011 to 86,566 tons in 2018. But they fell to 50,860 tons in 2019 due to the boycott of Japanese products prompted by worsening Korea-Japan relations, and in 2020 and 2021, when the impact of "No Japan" continued, they did not even reach 10,000 tons each.
Since 2022, imports of Japanese beer have started to rise again. They reached 71,446 tons in 2023 and 82,229 tons in 2024, and last year surpassed 100,000 tons for the first time.
Japan also ranked No. 1 among beer import sources last year. Total beer imports last year were 240,442 tons, with Japanese beer at 100,322 tons, taking a 41.7% share. The European Union (EU) came in second with 63,161 tons.
Beer from the EU, which once dominated Korea's imported beer market, continues to decline. EU beer imports nearly reached 200,000 tons in 2019, but fell to 84,254 tons in 2024 and then to 63,161 tons last year.
By region, beer imported from Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan, totaled 53,596 tons, accounting for more than half of all Japanese beer imports. Next were Oita Prefecture in Kyushu with 18,504 tons and Aichi Prefecture in Honshu with 11,225 tons. Major production plants for Asahi and Kirin are located in Fukuoka, Sapporo in Oita, and Kirin in Aichi.
The popularity of Japanese beer in Korea is drawing attention in Japan as well. Nihon Keizai Shimbun said in February that "the consumption of Japanese beer in Korea is a mirror reflecting Korea-Japan relations," noting that after the boycott of Japanese products, some companies reduced Japanese-language labeling on products for export to Korea.
It added that Asahi appointed the group Blackpink as "Super Dry" ambassadors in July last year, and that Kirin held a beer event in Yeouido, Seoul, last fall, strengthening marketing aimed at the Korean market.